O'Reilly: Was America A "Better" Country In 1950s?

[B00Mer]

O'Reilly: Was America A "Better" Country In 1950s?

Bill O'Reilly Asks If The United States Was A Better Country In The 1950s, Clashes w/ Colmes/Crowley - YouTube

Tonight’s O’Reilly Factor tackled the question, was America a better country in the 1950s and the early 1960s than it is today?

In Bill O’Reilly’s Talking Points Memo, he said, “There’s no question that for minority Americans things were generally awful back then. […]

So on the civil rights issue, America is much improved today.” He noted that the 1950s were more wholesome, especially by today’s standards. “There was respect for

teachers, for cops, for clerics.

Now that’s gone.

The mantra today being: where’s mine?” O’Reilly commented. See how the debate unfolded when Alan Colmes and Monica Crowley joined the conversation.

Read more: DEBATE: Was America a Better Country in the 1950s Versus Today? | Fox News Insider

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Yes, the U.S. was much better. The demographics were more homogenous, more European/Caucasian/Christian. Moral standards were higher. Stores were closed on Sundays. There was the Diner's Club, but credit cards were rare. A larger middle-class existed. By 18-21, couples were married with children and a home. Few "shacked-up". More people had jobs that paid a living wage, because our nation made things in factories. You rec'd social security at retirement (65 years old). Life was simple.

 

[Kreskin]

Yes, back then the news was real news, not just biased opinions. If you wanted to know the way it was you watched Walter Cronkite for 30 minutes. Afterwards everyone watched 'My Favorite Martian'.

For travel everyone packed the family into a 55 Chev and hoped the master cylinder didn't give out going down a mountain. Upon arrival at the motor inn everyone watched 'My Favorite Martian'.

After school, kids played games outside. When it got dark all the kids went home to watch 'My Favorite Martian'.

 

[Cliffy]

Yes, back then the news was real news, not just biased opinions. If you wanted to know the way it was you watched Walter Cronkite for 30 minutes. Afterwards everyone watched 'My Favorite Martian'.

For travel everyone packed the family into a 55 Chev and hoped the master cylinder didn't give out going down a mountain. Upon arrival at the motor inn everyone watched 'My Favorite Martian'.

After school, kids played games outside. When it got dark all the kids went home to watch 'My Favorite Martian'.

You forgot Father Knows Best and Leave it to Beaver. Life in America was a Dinah Shore Chevy commercial. There is no going back. Nobody would put up with it.

 

[karrie]

cops teachers and preachers got demoted in the public's eyes to exactly what they are.... people hired to do a job. And that's a good thing. There was a long period of time where abuses of power such as child molestation went unchecked because they were 'the authority'.

I personally like living in a time where we all deserve just as much respect as a priest, cop, teacher. No law abiding citizen is worth less than any other. People just need to give their heads a shake and remember that not respecting authorities above others, still means others deserve respect, not just that we stop respecting anyone, period.

 

[WLDB]

"wholesome." Interesting term. I wouldnt have wanted to live there then. Id definitely prefer now. Life is never a nice looking commercial.

There would not have been many cops, teachers or clerics I would have respected back then considering what we know now.

 

[B00Mer]

You forgot Father Knows Best and Leave it to Beaver. Life in America was a Dinah Shore Chevy commercial. There is no going back. Nobody would put up with it.

What I like the most about the fifties is that it was more about the family unit.. today, to many children are born to single parents..

I remember the Sunday dinner in the living room watching the Walt Disney movie..

I would have to say the 1950's. I like the music, the styles, the economy, THE CARS, the safety, and family values from that era.

The only things I don't like from that time are the racism and the subservient roles women had to endure.

Imagine everything from the 1950's combined with today's tolerance. It would be amazing!

Fabulous Fifties : 1950's MIDI Music

Everything was not in your face.. peoples sex lives or sexual preference was not something that had to be aired out in public.. Cary Grant and Randolph Scott where house buddies.. Gay sex partners.. they didn't dance in the streets shouting it out to the public..

Barbara Stanwyck was a lesbian, but she didn't have to notify the world on public TV.. "I'm coming out" - who the f*uk cares!!

Today it's almost a fad nowadays .. not really.. look back at the Romans.

 

[Spade]

You mean polio, the Red Scare, the Cold War, fallout shelters, propaganda, women in servitude, segregation, the Klan, nuclear testing, McCarthyism, The Korean War, racism, black and white television, DDT, and Howdy Doody?

 

[B00Mer]

1. The music was great, early rock, high point of jazz, swing, blues, etc.

2. Casual by 50s standards is formal by todays standards. In short people didn't dress like the homeless, intentionally of course.

3. Even gangsters had style. Leather jackets for the lesser gangs and in the case of the mafia, business suits. Best part was gang crime was something to worry about. These gangsters had money, there is is reason why current gangs dress like crap, they can't afford anything better. Oh and gang crimes weren't about "that **** stole my hoe" no they were the serious stuff, the kind of things people actually fight wars over.

4. Speaking of war, this was the atomic age! You could go to hotels and watch atomic bombs go off! Go on youtube and look at any nuclear explosion, after watching a few you would hope that you would get to see these (from a safe distance) any day!

5. The cold war was also prominent, daily reports about the communist scum united the country.

6. Huge technological breakthrough! Widespread use of televisions! Many home appliances that are considered a necessity today were produced in the 50s. Early computers got their start. They were big and cumbersome and and you're cell phone probably has more computing power than 200 of them but nonetheless they were still computers!

7. Television was epic! A good chunk of all the classic television shows have 50s roots like the Flintstones and the Jetsons and of course the Twilight Zone.

8. First highways were constructed.

9. Aircraft to transport civilians started to become practical.

10. The economy was good. Stocks were up, gas prices were low, there were few homeless, everyone lived in large country estates, suburbs, or pricey city apartments.

 

[Spade]

The Crown rests.

 

[B00Mer]

1950's Music! - YouTube

 

[karrie]

1. The music was boring, early rock, high point of jazz, swing, blues, etc.

2. Casual by 50s standards is formal by todays standards. In short people were constantly overdressed and fussing with their clothes

3. Even gangsters were fussy

4. Speaking of war, this was the atomic age! You could live in fear of ending up like the residents of Hiroshima you saw on the tv.

5. The cold war was also prominent, daily reports about the communist scum united the country and kept them scared enough to give up their personal liberties.

6. Technology was just starting. No crisp tv screen, no iPod, no handheld computer for your kids to access the libraries of the world.

7. Television was limited. And primarily only applied to you if you were a white family with kids.

8. First highways were just being constructed. No divided double lane to get you from one end of the province to the other. Find any old highway and do an hour on it, and you'll see how bad it sucked.

9. Aircraft to transport civilians was just starting to become practical.

10. The economy was good. Stocks were up, gas prices were low, there were few homeless on the streets, they were locked up in institutions where they belonged.

 

[Kreskin]

Would you trust someone named Beaver Cleaver?

 

[karrie]

Would you trust someone named Beaver Cleaver?

I've seen those on sale for $100 at the grown up shop.

 

[Spade]

I'm too shy to go in and try one on.

 

[B00Mer]

1. The music was boring, early rock, high point of jazz, swing, blues, etc.

Seriously, 50's music rocks!! WTF?? Rules... better than today's BS that talks about shootings, rape and violence.

2. Casual by 50s standards is formal by todays standards. In short people were constantly overdressed and fussing with their clothes

please... they had pride in the way they looked in public.

4. Speaking of war, this was the atomic age! You could live in fear of ending up like the residents of Hiroshima you saw on the tv.

5. The cold war was also prominent, daily reports about the communist scum united the country and kept them scared enough to give up their personal liberties.

Yup never happens today, with 9/11 and the Patriot Act and other terrorist acts new legislation to keep us safe.

6. Technology was just starting. No crisp tv screen, no iPod, no handheld computer for your kids to access the libraries of the world.

Yeah, kids went outside to play, they were more healthy, and socialized more..

Today they are always sitting behind a screen, or texting.. they sit behind the that fancy HD TV getting fat.

8. First highways were just being constructed. No divided double lane to get you from one end of the province to the other. Find any old highway and do an hour on it, and you'll see how bad it sucked.

Canada was always 10 years behind the USA, always was, always will be.

The Interstate..

 

[WLDB]

1. The music was great, early rock, high point of jazz, swing, blues, etc.

2. Casual by 50s standards is formal by todays standards. In short people didn't dress like the homeless, intentionally of course.

3. Even gangsters had style. Leather jackets for the lesser gangs and in the case of the mafia, business suits. Best part was gang crime was something to worry about. These gangsters had money, there is is reason why current gangs dress like crap, they can't afford anything better. Oh and gang crimes weren't about "that **** stole my hoe" no they were the serious stuff, the kind of things people actually fight wars over.

4. Speaking of war, this was the atomic age! You could go to hotels and watch atomic bombs go off! Go on youtube and look at any nuclear explosion, after watching a few you would hope that you would get to see these (from a safe distance) any day!

5. The cold war was also prominent, daily reports about the communist scum united the country.

6. Huge technological breakthrough! Widespread use of televisions! Many home appliances that are considered a necessity today were produced in the 50s. Early computers got their start. They were big and cumbersome and and you're cell phone probably has more computing power than 200 of them but nonetheless they were still computers!

7. Television was epic! A good chunk of all the classic television shows have 50s roots like the Flintstones and the Jetsons and of course the Twilight Zone.

8. First highways were constructed.

9. Aircraft to transport civilians started to become practical.

10. The economy was good. Stocks were up, gas prices were low, there were few homeless, everyone lived in large country estates, suburbs, or pricey city apartments.

1. Some of it was good. The stuff done at Sun was great. Thats when Elvis was good. Buddy Holly, Johnny Cash, Bobby Darin and Sinatra get fairly regular airplay at my place though I was born decades later. I dont think Id be able to listen to only 50s stuff for very long though.

2. I actually dress what most would consider business casual nearly all the time. Some think I over dress, I just prefer it this way.

3. Id say the gangsters had better style in the 20s and 30s. Not a fan of the leather look or the greasy hair. I did like how the Godfather II put the Corleones temporarily in business with the regime in Cuba then pulling out after seeing the revolutionaries were willing to die to defeat the regime. Real wars were indeed fought for organized crime, and still are, like the drug war.

4. They kind of freak me out. Im glad that sort of thing doesnt happen regularly anymore.

5. Yeah, im also glad I missed out on the Cold War. Daily threat of nuclear annihilation for years on end does not sound very pleasant. Its probably like sitting on death row and waking up each day thinking "Is this my last day?" Particularly a little later on with the Cuban Missile Crisis. I'll take pointless bickering and arguing about by comparison trivial matters to wondering about whether or not I'll be alive next week - or if I'll be drafted to go fight in some country I never heard of and probably dont give a damn about (in the 50s, Korea, 60s, Vietnam).

6. No need for tvs. I dont have one now. Ive noticed that they do seem to be on their way out now with pople in my age group or a little older.

7. Never cared for those particular shoes. I did watch the original Star Trek and Lost in Space shows when I was a kid though. Those would have been 60s shows though.

8. Actually those started in the 20s.

9. Not for Buddy Holly unfortunately. (seriously, I think music would have been a lot more interesting if he had lived into the 60s)

10. Unless you happened to not be white.

 

[karrie]

Seriously, 50's music rocks!! WTF?? Rules... better than today's BS that talks about shootings, rape and violence.



please... they had pride in the way they looked in public.



Yup never happens today, with 9/11 and the Patriot Act and other terrorist acts new legislation to keep us safe.



Yeah, kids went outside to play, they were more healthy, and socialized more..

Today they are always sitting behind a screen, or texting.. they sit behind the that fancy HD TV getting fat.





Canada was always 10 years behind the USA, always was, always will be.

The Interstate..

Rose coloured glasses my friend. Trust me, everyone does it. Recollection is weird. Take school for instance. God I wish I could go back to school some days. Then I show up at my kids' school, and seriously, how did we not know how badly we all stunk as kids!? lol.

It's always easier to look back to the known, than to face the unraveling future.

 

[B00Mer]

10. Unless you happened to not be white. :razz:

LOL, you should drive through Texas, Mississippi and Louisiana and tell me if things have changed much.

In the USA being Hispanic and Arab Muslim doesn't give you any brownie points (no pun intended)

http://members.virtualtourist.com/m/p/m/1e06da/

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

The best era for music was the late 70s/early 80s. Anybody who says anything different is just plain wrong.

 

[B00Mer]

The best era for music was the late 70s/early 80s. Anybody who says anything different is just plain wrong.

Jesus Christ Superstar (1970) full cd - YouTube

:lol: Good for an acid trip..